Northants star Duckett: Double ton at Kent one of my best innings

Tom Vickers

Northants’ double centurion Ben Duckett said his innings in the County Championship Division Two clash with Kent was right up there with his best ever.

Duckett, who had started the second day on 19, was finally dismissed for a breathtaking 208 from 251 balls.

It means the 21-year-old has now passed 2,500 runs this season, with 1,251 of those coming in the Championship.

His heroics helped Northants post 384 all out, with captain Alex Wakely the other main contributor with 73 from 118 balls.

And Duckett said: “I was 178 at tea and told myself to graft for those other 20-odd runs and I think you could see how happy I was to get there.

“I just wanted to put us in a winning position.

“I think we could have possibly got 200 ahead there, but I’d have taken a lead of 150-odd all day.

“You can never tell if it’s your day in the red-ball stuff but the main thing I’ve tried to do this year is that when I do get in I try to go big.

“I was always going to play with a bit of freedom on this pitch, which I think was the right thing because it did do a bit.

“I just wanted to get through the new ball and then, when they went to spin, to not let James Tredwell settle. That was why I tried to get the fielders out and score as many boundaries off him as I could.”

Kent, who were bowled out for just 230 on the first day, found themselves 154 runs behind, and they made a shocking start to their second innings.

They were to close on 15 for four after Rory Kleinveldt got rid of a quartet of home players.

And Duckett added: “Getting three of their top batters out tonight was unbelievable.

“With one tail-ender out there, if we go bang, bang, and get two more in the morning we’re in a great position to possibly win by an innings.”